Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not fully informed about a sudden, controversial 28-point peace plan presented by the Trump administration to Ukraine until late in the process. This plan, described as a "take-it-or-leave-it proposition," was primarily the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations between Steve Witkoff and Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev over several weeks, excluding Ukraine, its allies, and even some key U.S.
officials. The framework was delivered as an ultimatum to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Alarm was triggered for European officials and Ukraine when U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close friend of Vice President JD Vance, urgently informed their ambassadors that President Trump had run out of patience.
European leaders and President Zelensky sought to understand who was most responsible for the plan, as they had been excluded and it was unclear who held the most influence with President Trump on the issue. The plan was forged during an October meeting in Miami involving Steve Witkoff, Kirill Dmitriev, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
While Rubio was not fully looped in until late, and President Trump himself was briefed on it at the last minute before giving his blessing, the U.S. State Department has pushed back against claims that the plan originated with Russia.
Despite the State Department's insistence that the peace proposal was authored by the U.S., and Rubio's statement that it was U.S.-authored, Senator Mike Rounds stated that Rubio had informed him and other senators that the framework was "not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan." Senator Angus King described the plan as "essentially the wish list of the Russians," a comment the State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott called "blatantly false." One congressman criticized the administration's shifting position on the deal, suggesting personnel changes would occur.
